Women Tech Council’s 3x3 event unpacked leadership, AI, and career growth with sharp insight, memorable stories, and actionable advice from seven tech leaders shaping Utah’s innovation scene.
Draper, Utah - April 11, 2025
What do a Bulgarian soccer field, generative AI, and modern leadership models have in common? All three drove sharp, unfiltered insights at Women Tech Council’s most recent 3x3 Connections event. 3x3 Connections are quarterly meet ups for women in Utah's tech sector to expand their network, meet mentors, and gain career insights.
The recent 3x3 Connections event was hosted at Pelion Venture Partner's new headquarters in Draper, Utah. Seven industry leaders led small-group conversations on three topics: the future of tech leadership, navigating AI, and the most valued skill in today’s workforce. Attendees rotated through discussions, choosing their own adventure in a high-impact, low-fluff format.
Soft Skills as Investment Strategy
In a session on “The Most Valued Skill,” Pelion Investment Associate Ally Hunter led the discussion. She emphasized the power of relationship-building, saying that soft skills have had a significant impact on her career because “Pelion is relationship-based.” She added that the firm’s best investments often come from personal friendships, making human connection as valuable as data.
To drive the point home, Hunter shared a vivid memory from her LDS mission in Bulgaria. A group of kids was playing soccer on a field with a pile of dog poop right in the center. They kept playing—dodging it, stepping over it, tolerating the smell—until a random stranger came by, scooped it up, and walked away. The smell disappeared, the kids stopped stepping in it, and the game flowed better. Everyone was happy. Hunter’s takeaway: it only took seconds, and the entire environment improved. Quiet leadership, she said, often means “solving the thing that everyone sees but no one deals with.”
Rethinking Leadership: From Control to Trust
Women Tech Council founder Cydni Tetro focused her session on evolving leadership models. She said that most companies still default to traditional management styles, citing a recent executive survey showing that 60% of organizations operate under command-and-control models, 30% follow a more flexible “enlightened” version of the same, and just 10% practice what she calls “trust and inspire.”
Tetro argued that the latter model—trust and inspire—is where organizations need to be, especially to support younger generations entering the workforce. But she acknowledged the gaps: “We have a long way to go.”
She pointed to the often-overlooked transition from individual contributor to first-time manager as a critical breakdown point. To succeed in that shift, leaders must let go of perfectionism and micromanagement. “You have to believe there’s more than one way to solve a problem,” she said, as long as the team aligns on the outcome and timeline.
AI as Career Catalyst—and Threat
Wendy Steinle, two-time tech CMO and advisor at Querri, spoke candidly about the challenges of staying current with AI. She recounted losing out on a job opportunity because the company wanted someone more advanced in leveraging AI, noting how difficult it can be to stay innovative when you're not embedded in a workplace.
To close that gap, Steinle turned to ChatGPT and used it to help create her personal value proposition. She was surprised by the results and found that it clarified her own thinking. “It helped me articulate what makes me unique,” she said. “That’s what AI should do—help us become more human.”
She left attendees with a provocative question: how do we stay human in an AI-driven world? One participant answered succinctly: AI should be used as a rough draft. Real value comes from applying human detail, judgment, and voice.
The Takeaway
3x3 Connections isn’t a panel. It’s a conversation—raw, real, and relevant to the tech professionals shaping Utah’s innovation ecosystem.
From quietly fixing what others avoid, to embracing imperfection in leadership, to turning AI into an ally rather than a threat, the event made one thing clear: the future belongs to those who take initiative, adapt boldly, and lead with intent.
Attend the Women Tech Council's upcoming Innovation Summit: The Age of AI event on May 2nd in Midvale, UT. This event will tackle questions in AI and innovation, including AI-ready leadership, Next move by design, economic shifts, and more.
Register now to secure your spot.
Serena Dearden is a SheTech student board member and SheTech Media Intern for 2024-2025. The SheTech Media Internship, provided through TechBuzz News, provides Serena with networking opportunities and journalism experience. Her articles are published on TechBuzz News, Silicon Slopes, and in other media channels. Serena is a senior at NUAMES, a 10-12 public charter school located in Ogden, Utah and closely connected with Weber State University where Dearden plans to graduate with an associate’s degree this year.